FIRE AT POROUTAWHAO

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2682, 12 January 1924, Page 3

FIRE AT POROUTAWHAO

MANURE WORKS DESTROYED,

At about 11.45 on Thursday night the siren was loudly pealed, which startled local residents into a. realisation that Fnxfon was again visilcd by the fire fiend. However, in - vc-tigalion showed (he scene of the conflagration fn lie far removed from the precincts of ihe borough in a direction almost due south. The fire brigade made a rapid de part lire to locale the fire, but on finding that if was in the locality of Pnrnutnwhnn, between Foxtail and Levin, returned to the station. The scene of the conflagration proved to he Mr ,T. Milne’s manure works, which were completely destroyed. The Levin Chronicle says the outbreak was first discovered at 11.30 p.m. by Mr TT. Smith, who is in charge of the works and resides close by. Tt then had a good hold and all that could Vie done with the limited water supply available was to prevent the fire from spreading to the house. Mr Smith had last been in the building at 7 p.m. and had been about outside until about ft o’clock, when all seemed well. The first notice lie had of the fire was when lie was awakened at 11.30 by Ihe sound of crackling timber. The building and the stock, raw materials and machinery were totally destroyed. A large 5-sen ter motor ear which had been left at the. works by its owner after a break down a few days previously, shared the same fate. The insurances on the works were €4,000 in the Alliance Assurance office, and the estimated value was between £7,000 and £B,OOO, so Unit Mr Millies is a heavy loser. The origin of the fire remains a mystery. No work had been carried on in the factory for some days. ,